Career Services Informer

With a semester of co-op experience, I figured finding my next work term would be a breeze. After all, now I had relevant office experience to add to all the volunteer and part-time work on my resume. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. I didn’t get hired on a work term, and while my story comes from a co-op standpoint, what I learned is relevant and important for anyone looking for work.

I figured this seeking semester would be a breeze – after all, I had a good amount of experience, and pretty well-written application documents. Without doubt, I’d have a second co-op in no time. Well, the months passed, and I still didn’t have an offer. Sure, I got a nice number of interviews thanks to my strong resume and cover letter. I’m even confident I was a strong interviewee, based on feedback I’ve received from others in the past.

Still, no offers. So what was I doing wrong? When I followed up with my advisors and coordinators in an effort to get some feedback, I was rather surprised and confused about what I learned.

I realized that I had been falling into two different traps: I was either a very promising candidate, but simply lacked directly applicable experience; or the recruiters had liked everything I’d done but just didn’t think I was the right “fit.” I learned that even if I did everything right in the application process, and had lots of experience on my resume, there was no guaranteed job waiting for me right away.

It might be the same for you. If you didn’t get that job you really wanted, the reasons might be completely out of your immediate control: you can’t instantly gain experience you don’t have, and you certainly can’t change who you are. Simply put, it’s a buyer’s market: there’s heavy competition for students and new graduates, and companies can afford to be very picky on who they select.  I don’t want to discourage looking for jobs right now; rather, I hope that this can help you to avoid obsessing over why you didn’t get an offer, or stressing out about what you did wrong.

No matter what happens, never give up. If you can’t find the paid work you want, think outside the box for alternatives. Can you work towards your goal by volunteering part-time to gain the direct experience you’re missing? How about taking on a less related role that would develop some transferrable skills? There are more possibilities than you might think, and Career Services and Volunteer Services on campus can help you learn where to start, both on and off campus.

Seventeen applications, seven interviews, and zero co-op placements later, I ended up taking classes and volunteering with two positions on campus. You might imagine that I would be pretty depressed about all the rejections and failures I experienced, but I managed to stay positive throughout the process! If I learned anything from this, it’s to avoid getting emotionally attached to a job possibility when the outcome is still uncertain. At the end of the day, you don’t know what’s going to happen, so why hop onto an emotional rollercoaster?

Jennifer Gutzmann

Jennifer is a Career Peer Educator at SFU Career Services, and a fourth-year business student pursuing a career in Human Resources. She loves being with people, and wants to do something to help others.

I “could care less” (watch the video for an explanation of what I really mean when I say that) about the grammar police.

Do they drive you up the wall? You wouldn’t be the only one. All you have to do is visit a discussion board wherein some unfortunate soul uses “there” in place of “they’re,” totally distracting from an otherwise coherent and possibly even convincing argument. The lightning-speed with which someone will point out their fatal grammatical flaw, utterly destroying any shred of credibility that poster may have otherwise had, is remarkable. It’s almost like a race to see who can point out the linguistic flaws in a post, particularly when a strong opinion is espoused. Such is the power of the Grammar Police.

Image via Wikipedia

Of course, there is usually a counter-reaction that takes place. One who points out another’s spelling or grammatical mistakes is often ostracized for doing so, especially if they come off as holier-than-thou or project an inordinate amount of lexical righteousness. Lord help them if they make their own spelling or grammar mistake whilst pointing out someone else’s – although delightfully ironic, the ensuing flame-fest can be a disappointing reminder of the depths we can sink to when given anonymity and a place to vent.

Grammar police can be annoying. Infuriating, even.

Yet, I can’t help but feel a small triumph whenever someone exposes themselves as actually caring about proper spelling and grammar. In this day and age, it’s becoming more and more rare to see people upholding the belief that these details matter. That how we communicate in writing has a great effect on how we are perceived (or not) as credible, intelligent, and worthy of respect. That to begin compromising on something so basic, so fundamental, is the first step towards the erosion of something much larger. (more…)

Thou shalt know these three learnings for thy blogge (via Wikipedia)

As this blog’s editor, one of the many joys I get to experience is the annual inundation training of those of our wonderful volunteers who aspire to contribute to the blog. I get to discuss things like “what makes a good blog article” and a few of the basics of good, simple online writing. I don’t profess to be an expert, but as someone who reads quite a few blogs regularly and has written two articles a week for the past however many months (see some of my other work here), I’ve discovered a few things that make a blog entry a bit more interesting. There are three big ones that I’ll focus on independently in this post: Voice, Conciseness, and Opinion. (more…)

There was a time when going for help or advice regarding your career path looked quite a bit different than it does today.  In recognition of the many strides we’ve taken in the field of career development and career counselling, I decided to call on an old friend for some resume advice the way that he would have given it back in his day.

Readers, please welcome my good friend, the ghost of Sigmund Freud – as embodied by this Freud action figure that I keep in my office.  For those of you unfamiliar with Dr. Freud’s work, a good place to start is here.  You can also note that he will be played by Viggo Mortensen in the upcoming movie “A Dangerous Method.”

Dave: Welcome, Dr. Freud.  It’s such an honour to speak with you!

Ghost of Freud: Good morning, Herr Lindskoog. What is this… idol that I inhabit?

Dave: That’s an action figure of you – quite striking, actually.  Look, you can even bend your elbows!

Ghost of Freud: Indeed…

Dave: Anyway, I was hoping I you could give me some advice on my resume.  I’ve been wanting to touch it up for a while, and thought you might have a… well, unique perspective. (more…)

What will the resume of the future look like?  Considering how many other things have changed in the world of career development, it’s kind of surprising to me that many of the conventions that apply to resumes and cover letters seem to be alive and well.

That’s not to say that some things haven’t changed.  In fact, those same conventions are often what makes an otherwise great application seem dull, generic, and lifeless – and the successful applicants are often those who step outside the ordinary and come up with something unique.  However, I would imagine the core of what a resume actually contains today hasn’t changed much from the time your parents were graduating from university.

As a group, job seekers are currently dealing with a transition that’s neither simple nor comforting.  The current generation of graduating students, for example, is having to come to grips with the fact that the messages about career development they’ve been getting all along from parents, the education system, and society at large, are ill suited to what they’re actually going through, and reflective of a time in the past when things were different.  Coming up with a plan, and implementing that plan on a nice, linear path towards career X just doesn’t work for the vast majority of people.  Instead, they find themselves thrown into a chaotic system in which their great plan, if they even have one, has little to no value, and may in fact be limiting their range of career possibilities. (more…)

Spring break!

Do you remember the excitement?  The elation?  Waiting for months in the freezing cold -30 degree winters (okay maybe just if you’re from the prairies) for that glorious week that, for all intents and purposes, marked the beginning of spring?

Ah, the unbridled joys of youth.  Sure, (most) university students have reading break, but by that time you’re kind of grown up and most of the innocence that coloured those spring breaks so vibrantly has been smudged and dulled into the mostly black and grey shades of adulthood and (shudder) responsibility.

Yes, spring breaks were always so great.  Trips to the lake.  Sleeping in.  Staying up late.  Getting away from all those teachers.  Just why did they have to assign homework over spring break anyway? (more…)

Get out of the box!

One thing that I’ve noticed in sessions with students consistently since I started career advising is a hesitance in making their resume “stand out” visually.  It’s frequently seen as a risk – that if one too many steps away from ‘normal’ is taken, the seriousness of the document will be somehow irrevocably compromised.

It’s an understandable fear, if not slightly misplaced.  But there is an equal if not greater risk involved in staying too deep “inside the box,” at least in individualistic western cultures built around the idea of the individual as a unique entity.  We operate as if a solid boundary between self and others exists, whereas in more collectivistic cultures that boundary tends to be fluid, permeable.  Leaving aside any philosophical qualms I have about “materialism as a means to convey identity,” people go to many lengths to establish their individuality in everyday life, from the clothes they wear, to the music to they listen to, to the profile pictures they display on Facebook.

Why the hesitation on resumes? (more…)

Has someone ever told you that your cover letter needs to have an “eye-catching” and interesting beginning? Well, this is no myth.  Recently, my sister who works in Human Resources has told me horror stories about the cover letters that she is subjected to reading.  Her complaints extend to “unbelievable” and “cheesy” opening lines that deter her from reading the rest of the candidate’s cover letter.

My personal experience with cover letters extends from currently being a seeking Co-operative (Co-op) Education Program student. Now, if you have ever heard of Co-op, it is likely that you have heard stories about how applying to jobs is like taking another course.  This has some truth to it, but it really depends on how comfortable you are with writing your resumes and cover letters.   Volunteering with Career Services has made this process drastically easier for me.  I initially thought that I would have to apply several times throughout the semester before I would get an interview, similar to other people I know in Co-op that have applied to 20+ job postings.

Now, you’re probably wondering how many job postings I applied to.

Well, before I share that, I would like to share some personal tips on how to create that crucial first sentence.

Tip #1 – Avoid “cookie cutter” lines

“I’m applying for the __________position because I want to gain experience” is not going to cut it in trying to entice your reader into reading the rest of your cover letter.  Imagine reading 100+ cover letters that start off this way.  How would you feel? Bored perhaps? Try the next few tips to avoid these standard lines.

Tip #2 – Think about: Why you really want the job.

Is there an intrinsic reason why you want the job? E.g. I applied for a position in Johnson & Johnson company because I want to work for a company that works to help other people.

Tip #3 – Do your research. Is there anything that connects you to the company?

This is especially important to show the employer that you care about the company and that it’s more than just a job to you.  E.g. Since I wanted to work for this Johnson & Johnson company that wants to help people, I did some research.  I found that this company has a credo that works to help people with specific diseases.  Maybe that’s something worth mentioning.
Now, that you know some tips that I personally use when I write my cover letters, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer.  I had applied to two jobs in the span of two months.  Out of those two applications, I had received interviews from both companies.  In late-October I had received news that I had been a successful candidate from my application. I was in disbelief.  Of course, I cannot attribute my success of getting interviews to just the first line on my cover letter. That’s just not logically feasible.  Having a well-written document is just as important.  However, if you really take the time to think about a good, but not cheesy, way of grabbing the employer’s attention, it is more likely that the employer will be willing to listen to what you have to say.

Stephanie Juy

Career Peer

Round Robin Resume

October 28, 2009

1:30-4:30pm @ MBC 2290-2296

Please RSVP on Symplicity.

Ting! There goes the bell again and it is time to start my experience at Round Robin Resume. Time to move on to the next table! As I sat down, my eyes raised up to him, the nicely dressed guy with an award-winning smile on the other end of the table. Since I only have 8 minutes to impress him, I presented my materials right away and waited for his neck muscles to make a nodding gesture. “Great start!” he said to me, and that, gave me a relief.

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